Almost 300 cows were slaughtered in last week’s cow carcase competition run by Ashbourne Meat Processors, Roscrea, and the Irish Limousin Cattle Society.
The competition, open to pedigree Limousin cull cows and commercial Limousin cross cows, focuses on rewarding breeders for producing high quality cows while also developing a sales outlet between Limousin breeders and Ashbourne Meats that benefits both the producer and the processor. It also provides feedback on required market specifications.
For the competition, Limousin cows meeting the required spec were rewarded with a premium payment scale.
Prices for cows started at €4.05/kg for E grade cows reducing to €3.85/kg for U+ grade cows, €3.75/kg for U=/ U- grades, €3.55/kg for R+/R= cows and €3.40/kg for R- cows.
A 10c/kg premium was payable for cows with a pedigree cert. Those with a carcase below 350kg and fat class 5 were excluded from the competition.
In addition to the price premium for cows, there was a €2,000 prize fund for the top seven cows in each section. The overall champion was a Limousin cross cow owned by Neville Myles, Co Donegal. Born in March 2010, she graded U+3+ and delivered a 500kg carcase. Winners in the two classes are listed below.
Specialised market
The competition concluded on Monday with a carcase display of the winning and top carcases slaughtered and also featured a display of in-spec and out-of-spec bull carcases.
Danny Houlihan, Ashbourne Meat Processors, explained that the company has retained access to a market supplying high quality cow beef to France.
The market is niche, differing significantly from the conventional market outlet for cows, and only caters for highly conformed cows with a good cover of flesh (fat score 3 and 4).
The French buyer of the cows, Henri Hoffman, (who was also the competition’s judge) in turn trades the cow beef to buyers (mainly butchers) in Paris through the Rungis market.
Henri explains that cow beef remains popular among French consumers but says, like Ireland, the demise of family butchers and small abattoirs/wholesalers throughout France has limited the sale of cow beef.
“When I first came to Ireland buying cows, we could send loads and loads of cows to France each week. Now the market is more specialised and while there is demand, it is only for very good cows and averages maybe 50 cows per week,” said Henri.
He says that the Rungis market, which supplies fresh food to a high percentage of Paris’s 2.2m population and its suburbs, which extends to 12m people, is now the only outlet with a big enough demand to cater for a steady throughput of cows.
He explains that Limousin cows have a number of desirable attributes.
“Purebred and Limousin cross cows that grade U and E can compete better with pure Limousin French cows as they are comparable on breed.
“Irish cows, in some cases, have a stronger selling point due to their grass-based/forage-based diet but again quality is important.
“The best market is for carcases weighing 450kg, grading U+ or higher and 3+ or better on fat. If cows do not meet this specification, we have to compete with cow beef from other EU countries which is impossible as it can cost 30c/kg or more.
“We have to secure what the buyer wants and hopefully it is at a price that can reward the farmer for producing better quality cows,” he said.
The prizewinners were:
Pedigree Limousin class
1. Neal Dignam, Laois2. Denis Barry, Cork3. Michael Ryan, Clare4. Stanley Richardson, Leitrim5. Bill O’Keeffe, Cork6. William Judge,
Tipperary7. Tom Fogarty,
TipperaryLimousin cross class
1. Neville Myles,
Donegal 2. Gerard Neary,
Roscommon3. Patrick Casey,
Westmeath 4. Dermot and
Margaret Lehane, Cork5. James O’Donovan, Cork6. John Coyne,
Tipperary7. Michael Stephens, Galway
Almost 300 cows were slaughtered in last week’s cow carcase competition run by Ashbourne Meat Processors, Roscrea, and the Irish Limousin Cattle Society.
The competition, open to pedigree Limousin cull cows and commercial Limousin cross cows, focuses on rewarding breeders for producing high quality cows while also developing a sales outlet between Limousin breeders and Ashbourne Meats that benefits both the producer and the processor. It also provides feedback on required market specifications.
For the competition, Limousin cows meeting the required spec were rewarded with a premium payment scale.
Prices for cows started at €4.05/kg for E grade cows reducing to €3.85/kg for U+ grade cows, €3.75/kg for U=/ U- grades, €3.55/kg for R+/R= cows and €3.40/kg for R- cows.
A 10c/kg premium was payable for cows with a pedigree cert. Those with a carcase below 350kg and fat class 5 were excluded from the competition.
In addition to the price premium for cows, there was a €2,000 prize fund for the top seven cows in each section. The overall champion was a Limousin cross cow owned by Neville Myles, Co Donegal. Born in March 2010, she graded U+3+ and delivered a 500kg carcase. Winners in the two classes are listed below.
Specialised market
The competition concluded on Monday with a carcase display of the winning and top carcases slaughtered and also featured a display of in-spec and out-of-spec bull carcases.
Danny Houlihan, Ashbourne Meat Processors, explained that the company has retained access to a market supplying high quality cow beef to France.
The market is niche, differing significantly from the conventional market outlet for cows, and only caters for highly conformed cows with a good cover of flesh (fat score 3 and 4).
The French buyer of the cows, Henri Hoffman, (who was also the competition’s judge) in turn trades the cow beef to buyers (mainly butchers) in Paris through the Rungis market.
Henri explains that cow beef remains popular among French consumers but says, like Ireland, the demise of family butchers and small abattoirs/wholesalers throughout France has limited the sale of cow beef.
“When I first came to Ireland buying cows, we could send loads and loads of cows to France each week. Now the market is more specialised and while there is demand, it is only for very good cows and averages maybe 50 cows per week,” said Henri.
He says that the Rungis market, which supplies fresh food to a high percentage of Paris’s 2.2m population and its suburbs, which extends to 12m people, is now the only outlet with a big enough demand to cater for a steady throughput of cows.
He explains that Limousin cows have a number of desirable attributes.
“Purebred and Limousin cross cows that grade U and E can compete better with pure Limousin French cows as they are comparable on breed.
“Irish cows, in some cases, have a stronger selling point due to their grass-based/forage-based diet but again quality is important.
“The best market is for carcases weighing 450kg, grading U+ or higher and 3+ or better on fat. If cows do not meet this specification, we have to compete with cow beef from other EU countries which is impossible as it can cost 30c/kg or more.
“We have to secure what the buyer wants and hopefully it is at a price that can reward the farmer for producing better quality cows,” he said.
The prizewinners were:
Pedigree Limousin class
1. Neal Dignam, Laois2. Denis Barry, Cork3. Michael Ryan, Clare4. Stanley Richardson, Leitrim5. Bill O’Keeffe, Cork6. William Judge,
Tipperary7. Tom Fogarty,
TipperaryLimousin cross class
1. Neville Myles,
Donegal 2. Gerard Neary,
Roscommon3. Patrick Casey,
Westmeath 4. Dermot and
Margaret Lehane, Cork5. James O’Donovan, Cork6. John Coyne,
Tipperary7. Michael Stephens, Galway 
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